1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates generally to the process of skinning and processing of harvested game animals.
In particular, the present invention relates to a new method and self-contained apparatus for hoisting, either from the hind legs or head, and skinning animals, both large and small, along with a device for grabbing and securing the hide of the animal for pulling.
2. Prior Art
Game hoisting and/or skinning devices described in the prior art generally fall into seven categories: commercial skinning machines; hide grabbing devices; ATV mounted hoists; vehicle hitch mounted hoists; tree/pole mounted hoists; free standing hoists; and mechanical skinning aids. Some of the devices have attributes that cross over to other categories, but none contain or offer the attributes or capabilities of the present invention.
Commercial meat processing industry skinning devices (e.g. U.S. Pat. No. 4,751,768 issued to Trujillo or U.S. Pat. No. 3,789,458 issued to Brown) are impractical for use by hunters and trappers on game animals and are not comparable to the process for which the present invention is designed.
Hide grabbing devices such as U.S. Pat. No. 6,569,005 (Maxwell) offer only a way to grab the hide for mechanical skinning but do not cover hoisting the carcass into the air for final processing. These devises also do not address the question of sanitation and further butchering of the carcass.
Similarly, most ATV and vehicle hitch mounted devices are designed simply to lift game off the ground for hauling and therefore are also not comparable. U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,155,771 issued to Montz and 6,705,821 issued to Phillips are illustrative examples of the categories respectively.
Additionally, most of the tree/pole mounted hoists and the free standing devices are designed simply for lifting game off the ground to enable manual or hand skinning and processing. U.S. Pat. No. 6,045,442 issued to Bounds and U.S. Pat. No. 7,059,956 issued to Summerlin are general examples illustrating the categories respectively.
The seventh category is the one in which the present invention falls: mechanical skinning aids.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,251,005 (Ekes) discloses an animal skinning rack. The device is used simply for holding the carcass in position for skinning but does not offer hoisting into the air in order to finish processing the carcass.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,336,124 issued to Garside discloses a device to secure a deer to a tree and a hide grabbing device that requires use of a vehicle to pull the skin from the animal. The device also does not offer hoisting into the air for further processing and the carcass is subject to contamination because it must be in contact with the ground before and after the skinning process.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,782,684 (Shaff) discloses a portable animal skinner where the animal is secured laying horizontally on a table of sorts and the hide is pulled off using a winch. Again, the device does not offer hoisting capabilities necessary to complete the processing and butchering of the carcass.
All of the aforementioned devices, being horizontal skinning apparatuses, introduce the de-skinned carcass to contamination by dirt, debris, hair, or other contaminants from the ground, the surface with which it is in contact with, or the outside of the animal's hide.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,672,953 (Chappell) discloses a game skinner which is a vehicle hitch mounted winch system used simply for pulling the hide from an animal after it is hoisted into the air by nonspecified means. The device does not offer hoisting capabilities necessary to complete the butchering process.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,562,534 (McGough) discloses a tree mounted hoist and skinning aid that entails a two-step process whereby the animal must be picked up first then transferred from the winch hook to a stationary chained position overhead, then the winch hook and cable re-routed through a lower pulley where it is attached to the skin and the winch is used to mechanically pull the hide from the animal. The device has limited distance between the stationary hook-up and the lower pulley which limits the ability to pull the skin from the entire animal. A user would have to move the hold on the hide several times during the skinning process because of the limited pulling distance.
U.S. Pat. No. 539,341 (Brown) discloses a collapsible tripod type skinning rack designed for skinning cattle but as before, the animal must first be hoisted into the air and transferred to a stationary mounting. Additionally, with this device the animal's head at the lower end must be secured because the hide is pulled upward and as before, there is little room above for the pulling area necessary to remove a hide from an animal.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,296,559 (Kinnebrew) discloses a dismantlable skinning apparatus utilizing an electric winch. The device does not appear that it could be of sufficient strength to withstand the amount of force necessary to remove the hide from an animal. Additionally, the animal must be laying on the ground when the skinning operation begins, possibly subjecting the meat to contaminants. Use of an electric winch is also a potential safety hazard because winches are made to pull weight but not hold it.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,626,748 (Horner, Sr.) discloses an ATV mounted multi-purpose device with one of the purposes being hoisting and skinning game. The same hazard as with the previous device is present in this device because it uses the ATV winch as the lifting mechanism. Winches are made to pull but not hold weight, so there is a distinct possibility that the animal will begin to lower as soon as the winch button is released. The animal must also first be lifted, then transferred to a stationary hook so the winch cable can be rerouted for pulling the hide. There is limited room for pulling the hide and the device does not appear of sufficient strength to withstand the force necessary for pulling a hide from an animal.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,211,601 (Cope) discloses a mechanical skinning device whereby the animal must be laying on the ground in order for the hide to be mechanically grabbed, then the animal is lifted or pulled out of the skin. As before, there appears to be limited distance between the upper pulley and the hide gripping point so the animal would have to be raised and lowered several times so the hold on the hide could be reset higher on the hide. Additionally, the Cope device is designed specifically for large game such as deer and would not work for smaller animals such as furbearing animals. The device is designed such that the deer must be hoisted by the rear legs and would not allow hoisting by the head, which many hunters prefer. Also, because the device calls for a single upright support, it would require constructing it of extremely heavy metal in order for it withstand the amount of tension necessary to remove the hide from a large game animal thereby making it impractical for easy or light transporting.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,994,618 (Syers) discloses a game hoisting and skinning device, but the animal must be picked up and transferred, in the raised position, to a stationary hanging point so the winch can be released, rotated, rerouted, then used to pull the hide. Also, the distance between the upper stationary support and the lower pulley is severely limited making it necessary to re-grab the hide many times while skinning an animal. If the device were built tall enough to eliminate this problem, a ladder or other elevation assistance would be necessary to reach the stationary hanging chaining mechanism. As soon as the skinning process was finished, the animal would have to be once again transferred back to the winch hook in order to be lowered so the processing procedure could be finished.
An additional missing capability from all distinguished prior art is the ability to raise the carcass out of the reach of dogs or other animals to let it cool and/or age as is common in colder climates.
Another missing capability illuminated in the prior art is a device that will work equally well whether the animal is hung from the hind legs or by the head. Hunters differ on the preference, most prefer hanging the animal by the hind legs and skinning from the hind legs down to the head; however, many prefer to hang the animal by the head and skin from the neck down to the hind legs.
As seen by the analysis of the prior art, there is a need for a device that incorporates the missing capabilities and eliminates the various shortcomings in the prior art disclosures.
Accordingly, several objects and advantages of the present invention are:
providing a new method and apparatus for skinning and processing animals.
a self-contained apparatus not dependent on a utilizable tree or pole nor requiring a vehicle to complete the skinning and butchering procedure.
a mechanical skinning apparatus that performs the skinning process off the ground, away from dirt, debris, and other contaminants.
an apparatus constructed of sufficient strength to withstand the substantial force necessary to mechanically remove the hide from an animal.
a method and apparatus that allows completion of the skinning process without requiring the transfer of the animal from the movable winch cable to a stationary point and back again.
an apparatus that will successfully aid and complete the skinning process while lifting the animal either from the rear legs or from the head.
an apparatus with sufficient height to complete the skinning process without the need to continuously reset the hide grab points.
an apparatus that will keep the meat of the carcass clean and free of contaminants from contact with the ground, outside of the hide, or from human hands.
a self-contained entire skinning system that is portable, dismantlable, and compact when disassembled for storage or transport.
a skinning system that will allow a single person, with no help, to completely perform the skinning and butchering process.
an apparatus with the ability to raise the carcass out of the reach of dogs or other animals to cool or age after the process.
a skinning and hoisting apparatus that will work equally well on large game such as deer and small furbearing animals such as raccoons or beavers.
Further objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from a consideration of the drawings and ensuing description.